


These games we play

by Nami



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 06:24:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7157177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nami/pseuds/Nami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Puzzleshipping drabbles from my tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All stories are unbetaed and I'm very sorry for that.
> 
> The first story was written while I was watching Doma Arc. Anon requested "hurt me with puzzleshipping". I couldn't refuse.

**Breath slowly**

 

Breathing was unbearable. 

Yami was painfully aware of every intake of oxygen, of how his lungs were expanding, how much it _hurt_. Suddenly that body, which had always been something strange and alien, was even more _different;_ Yami had never really been the one in charge of that body. Even if it was him, not his partner, using that body, Yami hadn’t been aware of things that body needed. Hell; he had sometimes forgotten to eat when he had been in charge. Now, he was experiencing not only the pain of losing, but also sore muscles, overwhelming weakness of not being able to move at all, how much it hurt to perform the most basic things. Abruptly the world had more colours, more smells, and it was overwhelming. He had to squeeze his eyes shut to not get mad, to calm down; maybe if he was breathing slower, pain would go away?

And yet, that pain was nothing compared to the terror of _nothing_  inside of him. There was a gap, a terrifying void in the place of his partner’s room. Yami wanted to scream, to kick something, to squeeze neck of Rafael, feel bones snap under his fingers –

He didn’t have any idea, he didn’t _know_ just how _big_ the presence of his partner had been. It was like Yami was abruptly left completely alone in the world; he was feeling more alone than when he had been in the puzzle, floating in darkness.

Yami was screaming till his throat started to hurt, till his eyes were as dry as sand. He was somewhat aware of Jonouichi holding him, telling him to stop, to not give up because they were going to save Yami’s partner. But if they did it, would Yami’s partner even want to talk with him again? He was a failure; a nameless Pharaon without memories, who had let take away the person he loved the most in the world.

The Partner was gone and it was all Yami’s fault.

That thought hurt enough to make Yami wish that Yugi had never completed the Millenium Puzzle.


	2. Yoga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem is making Yugi really frustrated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for sailorsamusau on tumblr. She drew a pretty picture related to this ficlet: http://sailorsamusau.tumblr.com/post/145049717733/firebyfire-the-aftermath-he-does-the-scorpion

> **Yoga**
> 
>  
> 
> Not so long after Atem had gained his own body, he told Yugi he’d want to try everything the new, modern world had to offer.
> 
> Yugi didn’t mind it at all; it was fun to watch movies with Atem, show him how computers work, go to circus to watch athletes walking on a thin line. Atem was curious about pretty much everything and it was amazing that almost every day they were doing something else.
> 
> But there was one fatal flaw in that perfect picture which was driving Yugi crazy.
> 
> “Hello, Aibou! Why are you up already?” Atem asked, looking from the floor at Yugi. “It’s only 6am.”
> 
> Yugi groaned inwardly, looking at Atem making something called “easy plow” pose. Atem called that “exercising”. Yugi preferred the term “torture”. Everything that pose was doing was showing off Atem’s delectable ass (high in the air, at the perfect level for Yugi to touch it) and his back. 
> 
> Who had suggested Atem to try yoga? And who had told him that practicing it in too short shorts was a good idea?! Mind you, normally Yugi wouldn’t complain about seeing his not-exactly-boyfriend-because-things-between-us-are-delicate’s ass, but for two weeks every time he had woken up and gone downstairs, he had been finding Atem in some ridiculous pose which made Yugi think about many dirty and pleasurable scenarios.
> 
> “Aibou? Are you okay?” Atem turned around. He was now lying on his front, prompting himself on his stretched arms (Yugi wasn’t thinking about licking those arms, oh no). If Atem was only a bit closer, he would be at the perfect high to pull down - with his teeth - the zipper of Yugi’s -- “You are flushed.”
> 
> “I-it’s because there is so hot here!” Yugi threw his hands up, taking a step back. There was nothing he wanted more than just throwing himself at Atem, but he didn’t want to scare the Pharaoh. They should talk at first, have a date and just do some romantic stuff before Yugi attempted to assault Atem’s mouth with his own, right? “I’ll go and make breakfast, okay?”
> 
> He _wasn’t_  running away. He was just taking proper steps to avoid making too fast moves on Atem. And if he was lucky enough he could get to the toilet for a few pleasing minutes without Atem noticing anything.
> 
> Stupid Pharaoh and his morning yoga routine!
> 
> * * *
> 
>  

> Atem waited till he heard Yugi running back upstairs before he started laughing. Dear Ra, teasing his aibou was so fun! 
> 
> He had tried to be direct with his feelings but since it hadn’t seemed to work, he had chosen a different approach. Atem smiled darkly. It was only a matter of time before Yugi snapped and only then true fun would start.


	3. Ficlet #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to afterlife didn't go too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, not betaed. I'm sorry for this very original title, but I can't think about anything good.  
> I took some liberties with how the place where Yugi and Atem dueled for the last time looked like.

**Ficlet #3**

 

It’s dark. That was weird; Atem remembered walking towards his precious family and friends, who were surrounded by light, not darkness. What had happened? Had something went wrong after the battle?

He opened his eyes but there was no difference. Atem took a deep breath to calm himself only to discover that it _hurt_. His whole body was trembling, his legs were in pain as if he had been running for miles. Maybe it was a good thing he was leaning against something, letting his legs rest –

A sudden, sicking thought appeared in Atem’s mind. He raised his hands only to find out that there was a wall in front of him. And under his feet. And above his head. 

He was in a coffin.

Atem started to punch the stone wall in front of him, but he was so weak he barely managed to throw a few punches. There was no use in screaming; his throat was dry and his voice was little more than a whisper. Was this his punishment? Spending eternity in a coffin?

_Don’t be silly._

Atem stilled, his eyes going wide. Was he going crazy?

_Of course you’re not going crazy, my lord._ The voice sounding like Seth’s murmured next to Atem’s ear. _Consider this your reward. You were ready to sacrifice everything you loved a second time, because it was a proper thing to do. Such pure heart should be rewarded with something it wants the most, don’t you think?_ That warm chuckle brought back the memory of him and Seth playing together as children with sun shining brightly above their heads, and hot sand under their feet. _Everyone says they can wait for you a few decades more._

Something hard blocked Atem’s throat. Was… was Seth implying that…?

_Do you hear them? They are close. Your body hurts because you’re not used to it yet, but it will pass. Try to scream louder this time, make them hear you!_

So Atem yelled, kicking and punching weakly the lid of the coffin - was it the same sarcophagus he had seen before having the last duel with Yugi? - hoping those people, who Seth had mentioned, would hear him.

He heard commotion outside, someone’s yell, then another, and then Atem heard the sound he couldn’t mistake as anything else than someone trying to push the lid open.

Bright light coming from outside made Atem close his eyes. The lid was pushed back completely and his legs stopped supporting him at all, making him fall forward –

— straight into someone’s warm arms.

“O-other – Atem?”

Fighting with his own muscles, Atem raised his head and opened his eyes. He was kneeling on the stone floor, supported by Yugi. Yugi’s -- Atem's own friends were standing around them, looking at Atem with mixture of surprise, terror and happiness.

“What…” he coughed, covering his mouth with his palm; only then he realized he was wearing bandages wrapped all over himself. They were falling apart, the awful smell assaulted Atem’s nose… but it was his own nose, and somehow it made the whole situation better.

A sudden weight on his shoulders startled him, but it was only Jonouichi giving him his jacket.

“Hey, Atem,” he said slowly, obviously confused, but that happy grin was as warm as always and it was enough to make Atem smile back at him, his eyes still squirted because of light.

Atem blinked, his vision becoming more sharp, more and more colors filling it slowly. It was as if Atem left a shadowed world behind himself, and now he could appreciate the world of living, being alive again. He was turning his head around, like a curious child, looking at everything with new eyes: Jonouichi’s hair become much paler shade of blond than Atem’s remembered it, there were flickers of lighter strands in Anzu’s hair, Ishizu’s dress wasn’t simply white, its colour was close to a shade of yellow, and Yugi…

Atem almost gasped when his gaze fell onto Yugi. He knew the face of his aibou as well as his own, but only now Atem realized how badly he had been seeing colours before he got his body back. Yugi’s eyes were deep shade of purple, his eyelashes dark as night. There was a small, almost unnoticeable scar on his chin; Atem touched it with trembling finger. Right, Yugi mentioned how he hurt his chin as a child…

The skin under his finger was warm and soft. Fascinated, Atem took Yugi’s face into his hands, knowing he was smiling like an idiot and not caring about it at all.

“I’m back,” he whispered. His throat was still dry, but speaking was becoming easier.

Yugi’s eyes were red and his mouth was trembling. He held Atem’s arms tighter, looking at Atem as if he couldn’t believe that Atem was real.

“– You left me,” he said finally in such pained voice that something in Atem’s heart broke. He heard a muffled cry of Anzu behind himself, and that hurt too. “How did you–?” Yugi sniffled, his fingers digging painfully into Atem’s arms. “I thought I lost you.”

“This is my reward. Something I want the most in the world.” Atem spoke slowly, his eyes never leaving Yugi’s face.

He was tired, hungry (Ra, he hadn’t been feeling hunger for centuries!), his butt was freezing from sitting on cold stone floor, but his aibou was holding him close, he had his strong, wonderful aibou back and honestly, every inconvenience paled in comparison.

“And what is that?” Yugi asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “I thought you got what you want–”

Atem hoped that giving Yugi a kiss was enough for an answer. And if it wasn’t good enough answer then Atem had many, many years to show Yugi what really Atem's heart wanted the most.


	4. Wake up, little one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi wakes up.

**Wake up, little one**

* * *

 

Yugi woke up to sound of singing birds, feeling more rested than ever before. Someone shook his shoulder gently, but he batted that hand away, murmuring something what was supposed to mean ‘ _five more minutes’._

“Do you want to sleep whole eternity, aibou?” was asked in amused tone.

Yugi’s eyes opened immediately.

There, in front of him, was laying Atem looking just like when they had seen each other the last time. He was smiling like a content cat, his eyes looking at Yugi with love. 

“Good morning, aibou,” he whispered in that his own way no one else could copy - it had always made Yugi feel special.

Yugi reached to Atem, tears gathering in his eyes. He touched Atem’s face gently to see if that wasn’t another dream; in his dreams he could never touch that beloved face. He barely registered the fact that his hand wasn’t wrinkled anymore or that he was feeling more healthy than in the last twenty years. 

The most important thing was that he could touch Atem.

Atem smiled and reached for Yugi too, wrapping his arm around Yugi and holding him close.

“I missed you,” he said quietly, brushing his lips against Yugi’s forehead.

“I’m sorry you had to wait so long,” Yugi murmured back, raising his head for a kiss, but Atem’s hand stopped him.

“Don’t say things like that, aibou.” Atem scowled. “I wanted you to live your life and to be happy. Spending eternity with you is worth much more than waiting a few decades.” 

“Back at you.” Yugi grinned and he took Atem’s face between his palms to make him lean down so they could finally kiss. “Back at you, my pharaoh.”

Yugi didn’t remember dying. He remembered his life though; he could say that he lived his own life and he wasn’t regretting a single thing. And just like Atem had said: a few decades wasn’t even close to being worthy of spending eternity together.


End file.
